ABC Chairman Justin Milne address to ABC Parliamentary Showcase 2018

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Every year we visit Canberra to showcase our content and services to the people’s representatives. We do this because we’re proud of our contribution to the nation and our partnership with you – whether it be promoting Australian culture, connecting communities across the continent, investigating events and breaking news, or supporting our creative economy by directly creating 2,500 private sector jobs.

But we also visit because we understand it’s critical that we are accountable, through you, to taxpayers who provide us with a large amount of their money – funding which, I assure you, we appreciate and seek to spend wisely.

Those funds now support an ABC which does much more with less. We used to cost Australians 8 cents a day but now, on the same measures, we cost just 4 cents a day despite the fact that our operation is far more complex than it has ever been. Our services are available to 99.6% of the population and most Australians see or hear our content each week. Importantly we are trusted by more than 80% of listeners, viewers and readers – a number which far exceeds all other media organisations in this country – and incidentally rose during our most recent survey.

Trust is an important commodity. Especially when, increasingly around the globe, the norms of democracy are under challenge, institutions are questioned, and citizens are finding it harder to discern truth in an era of fake news, media manipulation and attempts to discredit and delegitimise the fourth estate.

While not immune to these forces, by comparison Australia is relatively well served by strong institutions, a vibrant civil society, and electoral laws that include compulsory enrolment, preferential voting and electoral boundaries that are drawn by independent bodies.

Of course, another critical factor is that Australia is well served by healthy and independent public broadcasters – ones that promote democratic debate, conduct investigative journalism, and provide an independent and trusted voice in a world of contested views.

Yes, we public broadcasters can be a nuisance to politicians. But successful democracies depend on the checks and balances represented by the fourth estate, and by independent public broadcasters in particular, especially as the diversity of media ownership in Australia declines.

Which brings me to the future.

There can be no doubt we are in the throes of the greatest technology transformation the world has ever known.

Internet users have exploded so that today the are 23 billion connected devices – a figure that is forecast to triple by 2025. And Americans now spend more time on the Internet than watching television.

The same is happening in Australia. Three-quarters of us now source news from our mobile phones, while online news is the main source of news for nearly half of Australians. Many homes no longer install television antennas, a third of TVs are already connected to the internet and within a generation, most Australians will no longer use broadcast platforms at all.

That is not to say the ABC will stop broadcasting any time soon. We recognise our obligation to serve our large and loyal audiences, especially in regional Australia, who depend on our traditional services.

But to remain relevant into the future – and ensure taxpayer-funded content reaches the widest possible audience – the ABC must build new platforms and technology to serve content to Australians in the new ways they’ve come to expect.

Put simply, we’ll build an ABC fit for the digital future. This is perhaps our greatest challenge, and one which we look forward to discussing with you, across both sides of the aisle, over the years ahead.

Allow me to conclude by again acknowledging your continuing support for a healthy and successful ABC – one that:

Enriches Australian culture in a world of global content

Provides a trusted voice in a contested world

Promotes democratic debate and public accountability

Adds to media diversity, and

Serves all Australians no matter where they live

On behalf of all the ABC people here tonight – and the 4000 others in places as far afield as Burnie and Beirut – thank you for the privilege of serving this great national institution, and through it, all Australians.

The ABC has grown remarkably since it launched on 1 July 1932. This is a snapshot of our achievements, programs and personalities and celebrates the ABC's contribution to Australian life for more than 80 years.